The Causal Effects of Relational Security and Insecurity on Condom Use Attitudes and Acquisition Behavior

Sexual Experiences and Attachment Styles in Online and Offline Dating Contexts

Nearly 50% of adults under age 29 report using some form of online dating to find sexual partners or romantic relationships. Limited evidence suggests online and offline dating behaviors and experiences can vary. We aimed to expand understanding these differences by examining how attachment styles are associated with online and offline search for partners and emotional responses to sexual experiences. In a sample of single adults (N = 247; M age= 27.34), we examine how attachment styles relate to individual differences in how people search for partners and respond to sexual experiences with partners met online and offline. Individuals high in attachment anxiety reported higher use of online dating apps and more negative experiences (e.g., lower satisfaction, more guilt) following their most recent sexual encounters with partners met online and offline, and reported feeling more used after engaging in sexual activity specifically with partners met offline. Individuals high in avoidance also reported more negative experiences following their most recent sexual encounters, but only with partners met offline. This study moves our understanding by highlighting nuances in how attachment insecurity is associated with differences in online dating app use and emotions following sexual experiences when meeting partners online and offline.

Attachment Security Priming: A Meta-Analysis

Attachment security priming has important theoretical and practical implications. We review security priming theory and research and the recent concerns raised regarding priming. We then report the results of a meta-analysis of 120 studies (N = 18,949) across 97 published and unpublished articles (initial pool was 1,642 articles) investigating the affective, cognitive, and behavioral effects of security priming. A large overall positive effect size (d = .51, p < .001) was found across all affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains. The largest effect was found for affect-related outcomes (d =.62, p < .001), followed by behavioral (d = .44, p < .001), and cognitive (d = .45, p < .001). Trait attachment anxiety and avoidance moderated the effects of subliminal security priming for behavioral outcomes-security priming effects were larger among people higher on attachment anxiety and avoidance. Assessment of publication bias revealed mixed evidence for the possible presence of asymmetry.

Spanish Translation, Adaptation, and Validation of the Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale with Young Colombian Men and Women

Infection by HIV/AIDS or other STIs and unplanned pregnancies are sexual health problems of considerable impact around the world. Condoms are the only method that prevents all those risks, and attitudes toward the use of condoms are among the best predictors of their consistent use. The purpose of the present study was to translate, adapt, and validate a Spanish-language version of the Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale (MCAS) using a sample of young people from Colombia. A total of 1441 young people between the ages of 18 and 26 years responded to a web-based survey conducted between January 2018 and February 2018. The dimensionality of the scale was explored and confirmed to replicate the original five-factor structure (alphas ranged from .65 to .86). Criterion validity was adequate. Women had more positive attitudes toward identity stigma associated with condom use, while men had more positive attitudes toward reliability and effectiveness of condoms and were less embarrassed with condom negotiation and use. The Spanish-language MCAS is suitable for measuring condom-related attitudes among Colombian youth. Future research is needed to validate the Spanish version of the MCAS with other Spanish-speaking populations.

Sexual Risk Taking Intentions Under the Influence of Relationship Motivation, Partner Familiarity, and Sexual Arousal

Condom negotiation is typically a dyadic process, influenced by a host of factors that can impact sexual health decision-making. The current paper investigated the influence of sexual arousal, relationship motivation, and partner familiarity on sexual risk taking intentions in women and men. In Study 1, 331 participants were recruited online and responded to items assessing condom use intentions. Participants higher in relationship motivation were more likely to consider perceived partner desire for condom use when considering initiating condom negotiation. In Study 2, 169 undergraduate students participated in a sexual arousal manipulation and responded to scenarios depicting sexual encounters with more or less familiar hypothetical partners. Participants reported greater sexual risk taking intentions with more (vs. less) familiar hypothetical partners. Men (vs. women) showed greater risk taking intentions overall. Higher sexual arousal was associated with increased sexual risk-taking intentions, regardless of gender. With less familiar partners, participants higher in relationship motivation showed somewhat greater concern that insisting on condom use would interfere with the sexual encounter, though concern was greatest among men for both more and less familiar partner types. These findings offer some support for the notion that a stronger orientation toward forming long-term relationships can facilitate sexual risk taking behavior.

Predictors of Condomless Sex and Sexual Health Behaviors in a Sample of Portuguese Single Adults

INTRODUCTION

Several theoretical models and intervention programs overlook the importance of individual motivations for the decision to have condomless sex. For instance, people focused on promotion (ie, eager to pursue pleasure) report less intentions to use condoms, because they perceive a lower risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections.

AIM

We aimed at understanding to what extent individual motivations are predictive of condomless sex behavior among single individuals.

METHODS

A sample of 415 Portuguese individuals (254 women) with ages ranging from 18-46 years (M = 23.30; SD = 5.28) were recruited to a cross-sectional study. All participants were neither dating nor in a romantic relationship at the time of the study. The link to an anonymous web survey was shared in social networking platforms.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The survey included self-reported demographic variables (eg, age and sex), recent condomless sex behavior, and previously validated measures assessing regulatory focus in sexuality, ability in sexual restraint, perceived control over condom use, perceived safety with sex partners, and salience of the condom use norm.

RESULTS

More than two-thirds of the sample had recently engaged in condomless sex. A logistic regression showed that condomless sex was more likely for participants predominantly focused on promotion in sexuality. It was also more likely among less educated participants, those with a lower ability to restrain their sexual behavior, those who perceive to have less control over condom use, those for whom the condom use norm was less salient, and those who perceived to be safer with their sex partners. No other results were significant.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Our results can be informative to sexual health care professionals when planning strategies to increase condom use awareness, by considering the role of specific individual motivations.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

This is the first study showing that individual motivations uniquely contribute to the decision to have condomless sex. This study has 2 main limitations that constraint the generalizability of the findings: (a) cross-sectional data prevents us from establishing causality, and (b) individual data does not account for dyadic processes in sexuality (eg, condom use negotiation).

CONCLUSION

Our findings showed that condomless sex results from an individual focus on seeking pleasure, a lack of control in sexual behavior, and a perception of sex partners as more trustworthy. Overall, these findings are likely to help researchers and health care professionals improving theoretical models predicting condom use and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Rodrigues DL, Lopes D, Pereira M, et al. Predictors of Condomless Sex and Sexual Health Behaviors in a Sample of Portuguese Single Adults. J Sex Med 2020;17:26-36.

Motivations for Sexual Behavior and Intentions to Use Condoms: Development of the Regulatory Focus in Sexuality Scale

Despite recurrent efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases through the use of condoms, HIV infections are still prevalent across Europe. Recent research framed by the regulatory focus theory has shown that prevention (vs. promotion)-focused individuals are more likely to adopt strategies to protect their health. Therefore, these individuals should also be more motivated to use condoms, because they are more likely to perceive greater health threats. In two cross-sectional preregistered studies (combined N = 520 Portuguese participants; databases available at https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/zzkc2 ), we developed the new Regulatory Focus in Sexuality scale (Study 1), and tested if the association between prevention focus and intentions to use condoms was mediated by the perception of health threat (Study 2). Results from Study 1 suggested that the scale is reliable and valid. Results from Study 2 showed, as expected, that a predominant focus on prevention was associated with more condom use intentions with casual and regular sexual partners, because individuals perceived greater threat to their health. Additional exploratory analyses further showed that this mediation occurred only for individuals without a romantic relationship and was independent of how salient the condom use norm was. In contrast, for romantically involved individuals, there was no evidence for the mediation by perceived health threat. Instead, a predominant focus on prevention was positively associated with condom use intentions with the regular partner, but only when the condom use norm was more salient. Taken together, these results emphasize the importance of examining individual motivations for safe sex practices.

A new measurement of an indirect measure of condom use and its relationships with barriers

One of the challenges facing researchers in the domain of human immunodeficiency virus prevention is the assessment of condom use in an unbiased self-reported manner. The current study presents the development and preliminary validation of an indirect condom use test (I-CUTE), designed to assess condom use tendencies and to overcome self-report biases. Two samples were included using correlational designs. In sample 1, 88 students from European university completed the I-CUTE with questionnaires of condom use barriers, social desirability, and condom use negotiation self-efficacy. In sample 2, 212 students from sub-Saharan universities completed the I-CUTE with questionnaires of condom use barriers and knowledge. The I-CUTE included 17 pictures of human figures in relation to condom use, where participants had to choose one of the four a-priori given sentences reflecting the figures’ thoughts. This represented a semi-projective, yet standardized test. In sample 1, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to barriers, positively correlated with condom use negotiation self-efficacy and unrelated to social desirability. In sample 2, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to barriers and unrelated to knowledge scores. In a multiple regression, condom use barriers had a unique contribution to explaining variance in I-CUTE scores, beyond the contribution of background variables and knowledge. These results support the preliminary reliability and validity of the I-CUTE tool in a variety of cultures, and reveal its lack of bias by social desirability and the importance of condom use barriers in condom use tendencies.